A boat lift system may be used to dock and store a wide variety of boats such as power boats, pontoon boats, sailboats, and personal watercrafts, for example. A boat lift system may include a cradle and a lift mechanism that affects movement of the cradle. The cradle may move upward and downward to lift and lower a boat held by the cradle relative to the surface of the water. Further, the lift mechanism may be controlled by a control system. The control system of the lift mechanism may be secure to prevent unauthorized use of the lift mechanism and subsequent unauthorized use of the boat held by the cradle. For example, the control system may be secure by requiring a key or access code for operation or by otherwise positioning the control system in a secure location such as a boathouse or garage, for example.
Some lift mechanisms for a boat lift system may include a cable that attaches to the cradle. Though the control system of the lift mechanism may be secure, an unauthorized user could sever the cable to drop the cradle and release the boat from the boat lift system. Additionally, environmental conditions may cause corrosion of the cable, which may similarly cause the cable to break and release the boat. When the boat is dropped into the water and released, the boat may sustain damages. Furthermore, the cable of the lift mechanism may be substantially flexible such that severe weather conditions, including strong winds, thunderstorms, and hurricanes, for example, may cause shifting of the cable and a corresponding shifting of the cradle and the boat held by the cradle. As the boat shifts, it may strike part of the boat lift system or another object or structure, which may cause damage to the boat.
Accordingly, it may be advantageous to provide a security member the restrains shifting of the cradle and/or the boat held therein during severe weather. Furthermore, it may be advantageous to provide a security member that holds the boat in the boat lift system despite severance of the lift mechanism cables. Additionally, it may be advantageous to provide a security member that prevents theft and/or unauthorized and/or unintentional release of a boat from a boat lift system. More generally, it may be advantageous to provide an improved security member for a boat lift system.